Heart-to-Heart - Captain Swan First Date
by Captain Poupon
Summary: Captain Swan first date, from Emma's point of view.


"How is one supposed to dress to go out with a fairy tale pirate?" I asked to myself, looking into the mirror.

 _Will this do? Is it too much? Or not enough?_

The best option I had was to ask the experts; I went to the living room where my parents, Neal and Elsa were gathered.

"Okay. I want honest opinions," I told them. "What do we think?"

"Wow," said mum.

"What your mother said," dad added.

 _Sounds good._

"Is that just the corset? Where's the rest of it?" Elsa asked.

 _What?_

"This is the rest of it," I answered, looking down at the beige dress I was wearing and making sure there was nothing missing.

"Someone's sister is going on a very big date tonight!" mum said while placing Neal down in his cot.

Her words tied my stomach into knots.

"Let's not oversell..."

I was blinded before I could finish my sentence. The responsible was the flash of my mum's camera. Her excitement was amusing but also slightly embarrassing.

"Wow, I really need to get my own place," I said.

"Cut your mother some slack," said dad. "It's not like we got to send you to a ball."

I noticed all the books on the table and felt a bit guilty; that poor Elsa was looking for her sister and, instead of helping her, I was going on a date.

"You sure you guys don't want help?" I asked them. "Maybe I can get Hook to stay in for the night."

 _And postpone the date. He'll be here any minute now, I don't think I'm ready._

"My sister put her wedding on hold because of me," said Elsa. "I don't want anyone else to stop living their lives on my account."

Three loud knocks on the door made my breath catch in my throat.

"Okay," I said, accepting that I couldn't back away now.

 _Breathe, Emma. You've been on so many dates, why are you so nervous tonight?_

 _Because this one means something._

I shook the thought off my mind and went to open the door.

"Uh."

That was unexpected. Not a second I had imagined he would be wearing anything else than his usual coat and leather pants but there he was. He had traded his pirate outfit for black jeans, what looked like a shirt with a waistcoat, and a leather jacket that looked as normal as mine. He was dressed like a man of the modern world, and that changed everything. Somehow, it made the whole thing feel even more real: I was not about to go out with a fictional character. This was real. _He_ was real.

"You look stunning, Swan."

I probably looked even more taken aback as him when I said, "You… Look…"

 _Is there even a word for that?_

"I know," he said with a smug smile and I laughed; _there_ was the man I knew.

He stepped into the room.

 _What are you doing? We're going the other way._

"Now that I'm settling into this world," he said, "I finally thought it was time to dress the part."

He concluded his sentence by handing me a rose.

"Wow, you really went all out," I said while taking it.

 _Romantic pirate. That's actually adorable._

I was feeling much less nervous now that he was here; I was only excited and impatient for our evening to start.

"Uh, Emma?" I heard mum call.

She was looking at the rose, on which his hand was still closed.

 _His left hand._

I had not realised when he had first handed me the rose.

"Is that…"

"Mine?" he completed my question. "Yeah. The Dark One kindly restored what he once took from me. It seems he has indeed changed his ways."

"So, what do I call you now... 'Captain Hand'?" I teased him.

"'Killian' will do," he said.

"Okay, Killian. We should get out of here before David decides to give you his overprotective-dad speech."

"Well, you can spare yourself the trouble, mate," he told my father. "I assure you, your daughter couldn't be in better hands."

"That's exactly what worries me, especially now that you have two of them."

"I can take care of myself," I reminded my father.

"You're sure you don't want me to drive?" he offered.

 _Alright, time to flee._

"Goodbye," I said as I left the room.

Placing a hand on my shoulder, Killian came to walk by my side.

"For a moment, I thought he'd come with us," he said and I laughed.

"Trust me, he doesn't want to witness that."

"Don't worry, love; I'll win him over."

I scoffed. "Good luck with that. So, what's the plan for tonight?"

He held out his hand with a smirk and a glint in his eyes. "Come with me and you'll find out."

"I didn't take my car keys," I warned him, even if we had discussed this. "Are you sure you want to walk?"

"Affirmative! Unless you don't want to?"

"I told you I didn't mind."

"Even with those?" he asked, pointing my shoes. "Are these comfortable?"

 _Look at him, worrying about my comfort!_

"I'll be fine, I can walk," I reassured him.

"Let's walk, then! It'll make the whole thing last longer," he winked, then indicated his hand, waiting for me to take it.

Finally, I did, and followed him.

"Make it last longer, uh?"

"Aye!" He raised an enquiring eyebrow. "Unless you've been given a curfew?"

"Killian," I laughed. "As I told my father, I can take care of myself. I'm free to do whatever I want."

"I'm glad to hear that. As for what _you_ want, I can walk you back whenever you get tired of me," he added with a smirk.

I focused on the path we were taking; we were not going to Granny's diner.

"Where are you taking me?" I asked.

"At a place where we can have dinner," he teased.

 _Well, thanks for that meaningful answer._

He chuckled. "It's not far from here. But I won't say more."

I tried to guess. I knew there were different restaurants in the area, but I had never been to any of them.

"Did you need to call them to book a table?" I asked him, knowing how he was struggling with technology.

"To call?"

"With your phone. In this world, we often need to book."

"I know about that, but I don't have a restaurant button on my device. The waiter had the honour to meet me as I went there in person. You don't have to worry, love; our table is booked. And it's actually waiting for us right in here."

The building in front of us was an Italian restaurant named Bella Notte.

 _Nice choice!_

He opened the door and gestured for me to go before him. It was probably the most romantic restaurant in Storybrooke; many couples were having an intimate dinner at tables covered with checked red and white tablecloths and lit by candles, creating a lovely atmosphere.

"Well, Swan, what do you think?" he asked me.

"I like that it's not Granny's."

The waiter seemed to recognise him and indicated an empty table. Killian rushed past me and the waiter. I didn't understand what he was doing until I saw him pull out a chair for me.

 _Old-fashioned pirate._

Trying to hide my amusement, I sat down and took the menu that the waiter was handing me.

"I've only seen you go on one date, and that was with a flying monkey," he said.

He was still standing behind my chair, closer to me than I expected him to be.

"Thought I had to top that," he added.

"He set the bar pretty high. He proposed that night," I replied.

He headed to his seat and removed his jacket, revealing the dark leather waistcoat and the navy blue shirt he was wearing underneath.

 _Don't stare, Emma._

"He also tried to kill you," he pointed out and sat down.

"Right. There's that."

"Shall I order us some drinks?"

"Not tonight," I replied, still avoiding his gaze that, for some reason, I was unable to hold at that moment.

"Why, love? You're a bit worried you'll find me even more irresistible after a few libations?" he asked, concluding his question with a flirtatious look that should not even be allowed.

"No..." Trying to ignore the blush that was warming my cheeks, I looked down. "I want to stay sober tonight just in case the Snow Queen decides to crash our date."

 _But I'm not surprised you thought this was about you._

His smile instantly faded.

 _Sorry._

"You still think her being here has something to do with you," he said.

This was not even a question, but an assertion.

"I don't think it. I _know_ it," I told him. "There was a puddle next to my car this afternoon."

"A puddle? What does that prove?"

 _Wow, you're doubting me._

I was not used to that. I normally never needed to explain anything to him; usually, he understood me, or at least trusted me.

He reached across the table and took my hands, his hold being firm and soft at the same time.

"Look, Swan, I didn't bring you here to worry about the Snow Queen. I brought you here to show you a good time."

 _I know, you're right._

He gave me another one of his looks; the kind of intense look straight into my eyes that was impossible to escape. Then, he raised his eyebrow in a way that inevitably made me smile, which seemed to be exactly what he had aimed at. He signalled to the waiter before gazing at me again, his eyebrow still flirting.

"What does it feel like, to have two hands again?" I asked him.

"I like feeling something with my left hand," he answered with a crooked smile while playing with my fingers.

The waiter brought us a bowl of breadsticks.

"Thank you," I said as he put it on the table.

That was when a glass of wine fell of his tray and its content splashed all over my arm and my dress.

"Really?"

Someone had apparently jostled the waiter who was now on the floor.

I wiped my arm and my dress with the napkin, cleaning as much as possible.

"Apologise to the lady, mate," I heard Killian say menacingly.

I looked up, surprised to hear him talk like that. I was shocked to see him holding the man's collar, keeping him at a threateningly close distance. I did not remember having ever seen him being so aggressive.

"Killian, look, it's okay," I told him.

Instantly, he let go of him, and the man got back on his feet.

"You," I said, recognising him. "You're the thief that took off from the ice-cream shop."

The next second, he was running away. Instinctively, I stood up, ready to chase him, but I stopped myself.

"Nope. Not gonna do it," I said while sitting back down. "We are on a date. And I am not gonna let some petty fairy tale thief ruin it. And there's an ice wall around the town... He can't get away. I'll find him, but he is not gonna ruin this night."

I was mostly talking to myself, trying to convince myself that letting him go was the right thing to do; that, for once, I should put myself first, and forget about work and the responsibilities that came along with it. I was definitely not used to doing that, but I had to. For me, and for Killian.

 _Killian._

He was staring at his hand, visibly disturbed.

"Killian?"

He didn't react. I didn't know what exactly was going on, but I didn't like seeing him like this.

"Hey, look," I said while reaching across the table to take his hand.

He finally looked up.

"It's okay, it was just a glass of wine," I said.

"Sorry, love," he said with a faint smile. "I, uh, don't know what got into me."

He gazed at our intertwined fingers. Something was still troubling him.

"Killian, it's okay," I repeated.

I took his other hand to redirect his focus.

"Should we order a bottle of wine?" I suggested.

His eyebrow went up. "I thought you didn't want any drink?"

"And I thought I needed to worry about the Snow Queen, but seeing that thief reminded me I had to let go. I don't want to worry about any of them. Not tonight. We are on a date."

His smile was genuine again.

"Would red wine be good?" I asked. "Do you even ever drink anything else than rum?"

He chuckled. "Red wine would be perfect."

I signalled to the waiter who came immediately. "We'll have a bottle of red wine, please."

"One of your finest bottles," Killian added.

The waiter nodded and left. Nibbling on a breadstick, I took a look at the menu.

"Do you know what you're having?" I asked.

"If I'm being completely honest, love, I have no bloody clue what half of these are."

I repressed a laugh, even if he looked amused too.

 _Poor pirate facing the modern world._

I brushed the back of his left hand that was still in mine. "Have you ever tried a grilled cheese?"

"I've seen that name before. Never inspired me."

 _Hey! You can't insult grilled cheese._

"I love grilled cheese," I said. "I think that's what I'll have, you could try too."

"What is a lobster roll?" he asked me, his eyes on the menu.

"Table on your left. That's what they're having."

His face amused me; visibly, he was not convinced.

"Is it not to your liking?" I asked.

"Lobster looks good, but why putting it in this fake bread?"

"Fake bread," I chortled. "It's called a roll."

"Lobster fake bread probably wouldn't sound as appealing," he said.

"Do you still manage to feed yourself in this world?"

"I do, even if I find some customs in this land rather puzzling, like this habit to fry everything, why do you feel the need to do that?"

"I'm not responsible for that, don't ask me," I said.

"I have another question: I saw something when we arrived, I don't know if you noticed." He looked back at one of the tables behind him. "They're not doing it anymore. They were sharing a plate of spaghetti. Eating the same strand. Ended up kissing. Is that a common practice over here?"

I burst out laughing.

"Don't mock me, Swan. I'm being serious."

"I'm not mocking you, I just… It's not common, nobody normally does that, it's just a thing from Lady and the Tramp."

"From what?"

"Lady and the Tramp, it's a Disney movie."

The waiter interrupted our conversation as he brought us a bottle of wine that he opened in front of us. I didn't listen to his praising. Instead, I was gazing at Killian, imagining movie nights spent with him, and wondering if he would be down for some Disney movies. As long as I was by his side, I would probably be able to make him watch anything.

"Love?" he asked me, interrupting my musings. "Are you ready to order?"

"Oh, yes." I addressed the waiter. "I'll have a grilled cheese."

"With fries?"

"Onion rings."

"I'll have that too," Killian said.

The waiter left and he raised his glass.

"To our first actual date," he said as we clank glasses. "It is an honour to spend this evening with you."

"To our first date," I repeated, too distracted by his last words to think of anything else to say.

"Tell me if I'm wrong, love, but in the past minutes, you've looked quite lost in contemplation while your eyes were on me."

His smug smile made my cheeks heat up even more.

"It was not contemplation," I said. "I was just… Thinking. About our conversation. All the things about this land that you find unsettling. It mustn't be easy."

"So you're gazing at me _and_ worrying about me," he summarised proudly.

I rolled my eyes, which seemed to amuse him.

"I'm not worrying," I said. "I just… I understand what it's like; for you to be here must be like for me to be in the Enchanted Forest. I was so out of place when I was there."

He took my hands and looked me in the eye. His expression had changed, all hint of teasing had vanished.

"Love," he said. "I've seen you in the Enchanted Forest, first when we met, and then during our adventure together in the past. You handled it pretty well."

"I tried to shoot an ogre. With a gun."

"I also remember seeing you with a dagger and a sword. I mean, how could I forget a dagger I've seen so close to my throat?" he chuckled.

"Sorry?"

"Don't be," he said. "That's actually one of the first things I've loved about you."

"Really? Are you saying you enjoy finding yourself in a position of weakness?"

"Not necessarily," he replied with a crooked smile. "But I love a woman who can find herself in a position of strength as easily as you did on that day, and several times after that, even if I was the one paying the price. I knew you were powerful; seeing you defeat Cora with your magic only confirmed that."

"I thought men didn't like being overpowered by women?"

He shrugged. "How could I not admire someone able to do that? Not many have bested me the way you did. I'll tell you what: I had encountered powerful people before, but you were the first I knew to use all this power for good. You fight for good causes; when I met you, you were fighting to go back to the lad. And since then, you've been running around to save everyone. That's quite impressive. I had never seen light magic before."

"Elsa has light magic too."

"The snow monster I recall wasn't that nice," he pointed out while softly unfolding my fingers.

"True."

His attention was focused on my hands. There was something adorable in the way he was caressing my palms; he looked captivated. It was not the first time he was showing some fascination for my magic, and I couldn't help but wonder if it was everything this was all about.

"But don't misunderstand me, love," he said. "All of this is only one of many reasons why I'd go to the end of the world for you."

I gazed at him, astonished that, without even looking at me, he had answered my silent question.

"Two grilled cheeses and onion rings," the waiter announced as he arrived with two plates.

I took my hands back and sat up, giving the waiter enough space to put a plate down in front of me.

"Thank you," I told him.

"So, what do we have there?" Killian asked when it was just the two of us again.

"This is the grilled cheese, and these are the onion rings that you can dip in the sauce here. Try it!"

I was hoping he would like it, mostly because I had influenced his choice. But instead of trying, he was gazing at me.

"What are you waiting for?" I asked him while taking an onion ring.

He gave me a crooked smile. "I was just waiting to see if you'd use cutlery or your fingers."

My cheeks heated up; I had instinctively used my fingers without even wondering if there was any code to respect. I looked around and was relieved to spot another woman eating with her fingers.

"It's alright, Swan," Killian reassured with a hint of amusement in his voice. "There's no need to stand on ceremony for me."

"Because pirates don't deserve fancy dates?" I teased him.

"That's not it," he said, and I felt his gaze intensify. "You don't need to stand on ceremony when you're with me because there's no part of you that I don't want to see."

I gaped at him, then looked down at my plate, using food as an excuse to escape his eyes. Again, a warm blush coated my cheeks as I pictured a literal meaning of his words, even if I guessed the actual meaning was deeper than that.

 _He wants me to be myself, without bothering with rules or codes; just me._

I looked up. He was focused on the grilled cheese. As if he had felt my gaze on him, he raised his eyes.

"How's your food?" I asked him.

"It's good. Better than expected, actually. Yours?"

"Can't go wrong with a grilled cheese! Might be my favourite food, and this one is particularly tasty."

"I'm taking this as a confirmation I didn't go wrong by choosing this place," he said with a smug smile.

"You didn't go wrong," I admitted.

He looked satisfied. I was eating distractedly, my eyes shifting between him and my plate. With the outfit he was wearing, he looked completely different, and I couldn't decide which outfit I liked most. I definitely appreciated the fact that our date had been the occasion for him to change, but there was something so special about his pirate outfit that I wondered if I'd miss it eventually.

 _This outfit looks so good on him though. And his necklace is still here. So is the low-cut V neck._

I immediately raised my eyes. He had not noticed how I had been staring at him. Instead, he was gazing at his left hand again.

"You're not using it," I pointed out.

The same faint smile as earlier appeared on his face. "I guess I got used to being one-handed; I don't know what to do with it. Perhaps you should just keep it."

He held out his hand and I slipped mine in it. He still looked disturbed.

"Is this still about the thief?" I asked him.

"Not only."

"Then, what is it?"

Not understanding what was troubling him so much, I was feeling helpless. Silence lingered longer than I wanted it to. He was gazing at our hands, thoughtful.

"You didn't notice, at first," he finally said. "That I had it back, I mean."

"Is that why you're concerned?"

"No. On the contrary, that could be a good thing," he said. "You didn't notice immediately, did you?"

"I expected to find the pirate captain I knew on my doorstep, and instead I found…" I indicated with a move of the hand. "You. This outfit. That's a big change."

"But my hand… I'd say that's a bigger change than an outfit." He looked me in the eye while asking, "Wouldn't it be a problem for you to be with a one-handed man?"

"Why are you asking? You have both hands now."

"It's been restored by the crocodile," he said. "Who knows if I'll keep it."

Ignorant of where the conversation was going, it was only then that I realised how meaningful it was.

"Are you seriously worried about this?" I asked him.

"As attractive as the hook can be, I'm still a one-handed man. I have a missing hand."

Weirdly, I had never seen it that way; to me, he had an additional hook more than a missing hand.

"Killian, I don't mind…"

I lightly tightened my hold on his hand, willing to make him understand he had no reason to worry about this.

"I've always known you as Captain Hook and it didn't stop me from asking you out. I don't care if the man I'm dating is missing a hand or a toe or anything."

"I can promise you nothing else is missing," he said with a crooked smile, lightening the atmosphere.

 _Here's the man I know._

"I can also tell you that an outfit change doesn't change the man, Swan," he added. "I'm still the same devilishly handsome pirate."

"Oh, I don't doubt that. Actually, we've never really talked about that: what is it like, being a pirate?"

He looked conflicted, as if he wanted to answer but didn't want to at the same time.

"Or we can talk about something else," I suggested.

"No, that's fine, that's just not the part of me I intended to brag about tonight," he said. "I mean, you're the sheriff, you might not approve."

"I don't plan to handcuff you."

"Don't you, now? It appeared to be your thing, back in the day," he raised his eyebrow, deliberately teasing me.

 _No, don't blush… Too late._

He looked happy with himself.

"What do you want to know about the pirate's life?" he asked.

"I don't know."

My question had come out of nowhere. I had not thought about what kind of answer I expected.

"Anything," I said. "I guess it's more than just pillaging and plundering. Living on a ship that you call home. Exploring the world. Being at home but not being tied to any place, just being able to go wherever you want. Free. Especially being the captain; no one ever telling you what to do."

I stopped talking, distracted by the way he was gazing at me.

"Do I even need to answer your question now? Pirate's life is exactly what you've just described," he said. "You're fascinating, Swan. I've always thought you'd make a hell of a captain. Captain Swan. That does have a nice ring to it."

"I'm not sure I'd like to be responsible of a whole crew."

"Not every captain needs a whole crew," he said.

"Really?"

"Aye. Alone can be tough, but two works well."

 _Two like, you and I?_

"You sounded quite appealed by the freedom it offers," he went on. "Freedom, that's mostly what it's all about."

"Do you miss it?"

He smiled and looked me in the eye. "There's no place I'd rather be right now than right here with you."

Again, I didn't know what to say.

"I do miss it sometimes," he admitted. "But not enough to even think of regretting my choice."

"It must be quite a change, living on land after so much time."

"It's different. Not necessarily in a bad way. Even if I do prefer the sea. It's about freedom again: on land, streets, for instance, dictate you which path to take. At sea, nothing stands in your way, you're free to take any direction you want. But don't be mistaken, love: a pirate's life is not fully spent on sea. Expeditions usually lead on land. I may be partial to the sea, but I can still appreciate everything the land has to offer; you set foot somewhere and never know exactly what to expect, because there are so many various places."

I was captivated, hanging on every word he said, images forming in my mind as he spoke.

"What was your favourite adventure?" I asked.

"By adventure, do you mean expedition on the Jolly Roger?"

"Yeah."

 _What else could I be talking about?_

"I was asking because, otherwise, I could have talked about climbing a beanstalk in order to retrieve a compass, with the best company I could have ever dreamt of."

"That's your favourite?"

"Perhaps? At least, that's the first that came to my mind when you said 'favourite adventure'. But if we're talking about expeditions on the Jolly Roger…" He hesitated. "I'm thinking of one, but I'm not sure I should talk about it."

"Why not? Did it involve piracy? Like, you know, the part of that life you don't really want to talk about."

"No, we did no wrong there. It just involves… Someone."

His look made it obvious who he was referring to. "Killian, you know you can talk about her."

"I do know but… Even on a date?"

"Yes. Tell me."

"I guess you've never heard of Nilocallen?"

"Nilo-what? What is that?"

"Nilocallen," he repeated. "It's a place. Barely anyone knows about it. According to some ancient tales, a precious treasure was to be found there. It's a faraway land, we sailed for quite a while to get there. We had a clement weather on most of the way; blue sky at day and cloudless nights. Then, we reached land and it became even better. It probably is the most beautiful place I've ever set foot in. I do not fancy hiking that much, but there, it was different. We actually found no treasure, but the breath-taking views made up for it: we ended up at the top of cliffs overlooking the ocean. It felt like we were dominating the world. Any direction offered a stunning view. Behind us was a river running through a valley filled with lush vegetation, whose autumnal colours varied from shades of green to orange, from yellow to red. And in front of us was the ocean. The sun lit up the cliffs with a warm dusk light before embracing the horizon."

 _Take me there._

"I'd say that was my favourite expedition," he concluded.

"I can understand why. It sounds wonderful."

He gazed at me thoughtfully but remained quiet.

"We've talked mostly about me," he pointed out.

He picked an onion ring and looked me in the eye again.

"Tell me something about you," he said.

"What do you want to know about me?" I asked nervously.

"Anything," he said. "How about that? There's something I've been curious about for a long time, but you never told me: Pan's map, what was the answer? How did you unlock it?"

"I admitted who I was."

"And who are you?" he asked. "I was right by your side when you told this map so much, but none of it worked."

"I had left something out," I said.

"What was it?"

"I'm not sure you want to hear the answer."

"I do. When I said earlier that there was no part of you that I was not willing to see, I meant it. I'm willing to know everything about you, so you can tell me anything. Unless you don't want to. You don't have to say anything."

I was mostly afraid to let him see I was not only the powerful woman he seemed to think I was; the saviour with magical powers that seemed to fascinate him so much. Behind that façade was hiding vulnerability; a vulnerability so strong that it had been the key to unlock Pan's map. Appearing vulnerable required bravery; a bravery I was not certain I had in me at this moment. But he sounded ready to hear it.

"It's okay," I told him. "Actually, you know about that. You've known from the start; we didn't know each other, but you knew… You knew I was an orphan."

"Orphan was the key to unlock the map?" he asked while softly tightening his hold on my hand.

"Yeah… Do you remember when we talked about this on the beanstalk? You guessed I was an orphan."

"Only because I knew what it's like," he said.

"I didn't know that, back then."

It was in Neverland that he had first told me about his past; about how he had lost his mother, his father, his brother and Milah. Before that, I knew nothing about him.

"You and I, we understand each other; you said so yourself," he said.

Maybe it was because we understood each other that it was actually easy to broach this subject with him.

"But love, keep in mind that it does not define you," he added. "Pan was playing with you. You might be an orphan, but you're so much more than that."

"It does define me."

It was actually so easy to talk to him that I felt like opening up more.

"Because I was an orphan, I've spent most of my life alone," I said. "The few people I've ever trusted all ended up letting me down."

As I talked, I gauged his response; he seemed to be carefully listening, so I went on.

"This made me who I am today, whether I like it or not. Being let down so often taught me not to trust anyone. I don't easily let people in because, that way, I can't be hurt when they leave. It's like, every time I was wronged, a brick was added to walls that now keep everyone out."

He was still attentive, and also looked understanding. Something in his eyes encouraged me to go on.

"I remember my mum once told me, when I didn't even know she was my mum, that these walls could keep out pain, but could also keep out love. She was right; there's no selection, these walls protect me but also make it difficult for me to open my heart. Anyone who'd want to be let in would have to be patient as I would first need time to trust them. Then, even if I eventually realised I wanted to let them in, there might be times when I pull away, but that's because I'm scared, not because I don't want to be with that person."

I bit my lip, feeling both light-hearted and embarrassed for telling him all of this.

 _Did I talk too much? What are you thinking about me now?_

He didn't look surprised. He also didn't look like he was judging me or finding me weird or anything negative. His gaze was intense, both difficult to hold and impossible to escape.

"My love," he said. "I now know the reason why you pull away is that you're afraid to lose the one you're pulling away from. But let me tell you this: if someone really wants you to let them in, they will not stop fighting for you. Unless you truly don't want them."

 _Good._

"I didn't know this was called walls, but I do know that opening a heart that has been broken and caused pain is not an easy thing," he said. "Last night, you told me you trusted me."

"I do," I confirmed.

"Now, I can tell you that if you do let me in, I will never leave. And you can take all the time you need, I'll be waiting; I've spent more than a century alone, I can be patient."

I didn't know what to say; again, he had told me exactly what I needed to hear.

"Did you really have no one all this time?" I asked, bringing the subject back to him.

"Well, there were women, but none of them meant anything. I mean, you met my past self."

 _Only one-night stands for you too, then._

Even on that point, we could understand each other. We could actually understand each other on much more important than that: I was thinking about our whole conversation and realising that we had much more in common than what I thought; after losing his first love, he had never opened his heart to anyone again, just like me, and there we were. Maybe he also had walls; maybe this vulnerability I had been hesitant to reveal earlier was actually familiar to him because, after all, he was an orphan too.

 _Wow._

"Was everything good?" asked the waiter, suddenly interrupting my musings.

"Perfect," said Killian.

"Would you be interested in a dessert?" the waiter asked while taking our empty plates.

Killian turned to me.

"I'm not hungry anymore but…" I trailed off.

I didn't know what to say; on one hand, I really wasn't hungry anymore, but on the other end, I didn't want this evening to end already.

"Worry not, Swan," Killian said. "Leaving this place doesn't mean our date is over. We have somewhere else to go."

"Really?"

 _Where? And how do you always know what I'm thinking?_

"Aye! So, no dessert?" Killian asked me.

"No dessert," I confirmed.

"No dessert, just the bill, please," Killian told the waiter who left.

"Where are we going next?" I asked him.

"You'll see," he teased. "You look surprised that we have somewhere else to go; did you really think it'd be over after the restaurant?"

"Yes?"

"Swan, I told you I would plan the evening, I was not going to settle for just a restaurant," he said. "I want you to know, however, that if you don't like this place where we're going next, we can leave and I can walk you back to your place. Or go anywhere else. The cards are in your hands."

The waiter came back with the bill and Killian paid – something he had insisted on doing.

"Should we go now, or do you prefer to linger here?" Killian asked me.

"We can go now!"

His smile widened. I was too curious to wait.

It was only when we walked out of the restaurant that I realised that bringing a jacket could have been a good idea.

"Is it far?" I asked him.

"Nope. See the lights over there? That's where we're going."

He was indicating a building across the street. Fairy lights were lighting the way up to the porch above which an illuminated sign was reading 'Enchanted' in cursive letters.

"Enchanted? What kind of place is that?" I asked.

I had never paid attention to or even heard of this place. The frontage was not giving much away.

 _Could be a bar; would make sense._

"It's the kind of place where we can do something we've done before," he said evasively.

"Is that a bar?" I asked. "Like, some sort of tavern, like you call them."

"Is that what you think it is?"

"Well, we shared drinks more than once before, but if your plan is to make me drunk, let me remind you I don't pillage and plunder on the first date."

He laughed and turned back to me with a cheeky smile. "Still haven't changed your mind about that?"

 _Well…_

"The first time I came across this place, I did think it was a tavern," he said. "But it's not. Even if we can have drinks. Just come and see by yourself."

He opened the door to let me in, and I instantly knew what we were here for.

 _Wow!_

The room was much wider and the ceiling higher than I had expected, and the decorations made the full meaning of the name clear: we had just entered a ballroom like those that existed in the Enchanted Forest. An orchestra was playing and well-dressed couples were dancing. No familiar faces could be spotted among them.

"Since when do we have that in Storybrooke?" I asked.

"Someone must have felt nostalgic and tried to recreate royal balls just like the one we attended not so long ago," Killian said while hanging his jacket on a coat peg.

He held out his hand to me.

"May I have this dance?" he asked. "That is, if you're interested in spending some time he-"

"Yes!" I interrupted him.

I slipped my hand in his and he beamed.

"Even if I still don't know how to dance, but yes," I said.

"The rule still stands: pick a partner who knows what he's doing," he said with a wink. "Not that you need that anyway. I told you, love: you're a natural."

He led me to the middle of the room and, just like during our trip back in time, placed my hand on his shoulder, held up the other one, and we started to waltz. Just like the first time, he was making it easy for me, guiding me so well that I could follow him without thinking of what my feet were doing. Dancing was not something I had expected we would do.

"I didn't know you were a romantic!" I said.

"Is that bad?"

I shook my head. "No. This is great."

I had not expected we would dance, or even that we would go anywhere after the restaurant, but this was a pleasant surprise.

"I was hoping you'd like the idea," he said. "Regardless of the circumstances surrounding our adventure in the past, I have loved dancing with you. Now, we get to do that again, this time without needing to worry about a wedding ring or your parents or the Evil Queen… Let's ignore there might be a Snow Queen around."

 _The Snow Queen._

I had forgotten about her. I had actually forgotten about anyone or anything that was not part of our date. Willing to forget about them again, I focused on our dance. We were waltzing without taking our eyes off each other.

"You never told me where you learnt how to dance," I said. "Or didn't you need to learn because you're a natural too?"

"There is obviously some talent I was born with," he joked. "But I did learn."

"Where?"

"Do you remember how my brother and I were working for the king?"

"Yes."

"Well, working for him came with invitations to royal balls."

"Oh. Does that mean you went to some royal training or something, to learn how to dance?"

He chuckled. "No training. When I arrived at my first ball, I had never danced before. Well, apart from when I was a child and my mother danced with me, that is."

 _Aww._

I was willing to know more about his childhood but, like me, he only rarely talked about it, and I knew that letting a detail slip out didn't mean we were willing to tell the whole story.

"If there was no training, where did you learn?" I asked.

"At the ball, directly. I watched other men and imitated them."

"You learnt just by watching others?"

"Aye. I told you I was born with some talent," he said proudly. "Even if, perhaps, I wasn't such a great dancer at my first balls, but my partners were kind enough to assure me I was good."

"Who were you dancing with?"

"Don't be jealous, Swan," he teased me.

"I'm not jealous, I'm just curious."

"At these balls, there are usually women who have come alone," he said. "As a dashing man not tied to anyone, it was my duty to offer them to be their partner for a dance or two."

"Aren't you a gentleman!"

"Took you long enough to notice."

I scoffed and his face brightened with a smile.

"I can't believe I've never heard of this place," I said. "I mean, my parents are definitely the kind of people who'd know about such a place."

"Trust a pirate to find the town's hidden treasures."

He led me into a turn before pulling me back to him. I was still amazed by how easy it was to follow him. Our moves were smooth. There was something soothing and enjoyable about dancing with him.

"I'm going to dip you," he said.

"What?"

There was a split second of utter confusion. Then, I saw him gazing at me, his face just a few inches above mine, and his smile brighter than I had ever seen. I beamed at him, unable to resist the contagious happiness that he was radiating. I now knew what had happened; he had warned me he was going to dip me, and that was exactly what he had done. I just hadn't got the time to process the information.

His arm was in my back, holding me, then bringing me back on my feet. We started to waltz again. He was not taking his eyes off me and I couldn't take mine off him. More than ever, I could see the man he truly was. Behind all the boasting and the innuendos was a man of honour with his own insecurities. He had nothing of the ruthless pirate he had once pretended to be; he did have a soft side, and was possibly even a romantic. He was someone who had once given in to darkness because of everything that had happened to him, but there was more good in him than he seemed to see.

His next move led me to be leaning back against him, with his arms crossed over my stomach, his hands in mine and his head over my shoulder, very close. Without thinking, I placed his hands on my waist and covered them with mine while I leant my forehead against the side of his head.

We were not moving anymore. He was holding me against him and, somehow, it felt natural to be in his arms. Natural, and good. An overwhelming feeling of well-being had taken over me. I wasn't sure I had ever felt so good before. I felt complete.

I had a feeling that this date had made me reach a point of no return: standing there, in his embrace, I was slowly admitting to myself that I wanted him to be part of my life; that I had no intention of ever letting him go. A part of me was terrified.

I opened my eyes without moving, my forehead still pressed against the side of his head. He was not moving either, and I wondered if his thoughts were similar to mine. The feeling of well-being was so overwhelming that it was like I needed to share it with him, to make sure he was feeling the same way.

If only he would turn his head, his lips would be within reach.

 _Resist._

I closed my eyes again and lightly pulled on his arms to tighten his embrace. The melody played by the orchestra was contributing to making this moment perfect. The thought that we were standing in the middle of the room furtively crossed my mind but I didn't care. Instead, I focused on every detail: his arms around me, his hands on my waist, my hands over them, my forehead against the side of his head, my nose close to his cheek, his indescribably pleasant scent, and the moves of his chest in my back leading me to adopt the same breathing rate as him.

"Swan?" he whispered.

"Hmm?"

"How long would you say we can stay like that?" he asked under his breath.

"We should move, shouldn't we?"

"Perhaps," he said.

But he didn't move. I had no idea how long we had stayed like that, but we remained immobile for a while longer. Then, we moved at the same time; I turned around and we started to dance again.

Songs came one after another and we kept dancing. Most of them came with slight variations of the choreography. Killian generally instantly knew what to do and, when he didn't, he glanced at other couples and imitated them. I had already enjoyed dancing with him at King Midas' castle, but I loved it even more now.

We took a break the time to have a rum-based cocktail, then went back to dancing.

"Does it feel like we've been here for more than two hours to you?" he asked.

"What?"

With a move of the head, he indicated the old-style longcase clock against the wall.

"Half past ten… I had no idea it was so late already," I said.

I had lost track of time. It definitely didn't feel like we had been here for so long.

"I had a feeling you were unaware of that," he said proudly. "I would have gladly remained silent to keep you here with me, but I know you didn't want to return to your place too late because you're working tomorrow."

 _Selfless gentleman. I wouldn't have blamed you for being selfish on that one._

He was right. I had actually expected I would be back home by this time, mostly because I had not thought we'd go anywhere after the restaurant. But I didn't want the evening to end.

"What about we stay here a bit longer?" I suggested. "Let's say we dance until eleven?"

He beamed. "Gladly!"

A new song started. He wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled me closer by placing his arms in my lower back.

"Tonight went by so fast," I said, still not understanding how it could be so late already.

"I'm happy to know that time spent in my company slipped through your fingers," he said smugly.

I failed to hide my amusement. "Just dance."

He chuckled and did as he was told.

Time ran out again.

"Swan…"

"I know, it's eleven already." I looked around before gazing at him again. "One more?"

"I was hoping you'd say that."

We had one more dance. I tried to memorise everything about it, willing to remember everything about this evening, and hoping we would come back to this place that lived up to its name.

"You're the most amazing partner, love," he said when the song ended.

" _You_ are. I only followed the rule; there's only one."

 _Pick a partner who knows what he's doing._

I had definitely succeeded at following this rule.

Hand in hand, we headed toward the way out.

"Take this," he said, handing me his jacket.

"This is so cliché."

He looked confused. "What's that?"

I smiled even more. "Cliché… It's like… Something we see people doing in all of these mushy romantic movies, but that people don't necessarily do in real life."

"Well, I'm doing it, and I won't apologise for making sure you don't catch a cold on the way back."

"Don't worry, that's actually cute," I said and he smiled again.

"Take it."

"What about you, though?"

"I'm wearing long sleeves, unlike you," he said, still handing his jacket to me.

"Fine."

I took it and put it on.

"You can be so stubborn, Swan," he said as we walked out.

"One more thing we have in common."

In the dark, I could discern him just enough to see his smile widen.

We walked rather slowly. Neither of us seemed to be eager to reach our destination but, soon, we arrived at my parents'. I stopped on the landing and turned to face him.

"Well... Not bad," I said.

 _Best date ever._

"You actually managed to make me forget that Storybrooke was under siege from an evil Snow Queen," I added, slowly coming back to reality and remembering the problems associated with it.

"I was worried that our run-in with that thief might have cast a pall," he said. "I apologize for overreacting."

 _Experiencing a tough comeback to reality too?_

I ran my hands down his arms and intertwined our fingers.

"Hey. It's okay," I reassured him.

I looked at him; mostly at his face, especially his lips, and at his chest.

"You want to come in and have coffee with my parents, a newborn, and a human ice maker?" I joked and managed to make him laugh.

I knew we had to part for the night, but I didn't want to.

"I really need my own place," I said.

"I suppose we'll just have to wait until next time."

"Next time? I don't remember asking."

"That's because it's my turn," he said. "Will you go out with me again?"

My heart skipped a beat.

 _This is happening. We're really doing this. This was our first date, it meant something, and it's only the start._

I was used to the first date also being the last one. But not with him. He wanted a second date, and I wanted it too.

Finally, I closed the distance and kissed his lips, something I had been tempted to do so many times during the evening. He wrapped me in his arms and made all the wait worth it.

At last, he stopped kissing me.

 _Already?_

"Okay," I said as I pulled back.

I turned around and let him take back his jacket.

 _We'll just have to wait until next time._

His words echoed in my mind.

 _Can next time be tomorrow?_

"Good night, Killian."

"Good night."

I entered the apartment, keeping my eyes on him until I closed the door, and leant back against it, needing to process everything that had happened.

 _Wow._

"So, how was it?"

 _Aaah!_

That was my mother. She and my father were sitting on the couch. I had not seen them and they had scared me.

"You guys are still awake," I said.

 _What the hell? It's way past your bedtime, go to sleep._

"We want to hear everything about the date," said mum excitedly.

 _You can't be serious._

"Just for the record, some of us don't want to hear everything," said dad.

"How was the restaurant? Did you go anywhere after? Was there a goodnight kiss?" asked mum.

 _Amazing, yes, and yes._

"That, for instance, is one of the things I don't want to know about," said dad.

 _Good, because you won't know._

"I really need to get my own place," I said.

 _Where I could spend the night with Killian._

"Good night, guys," I told them as I headed toward the stairs.

"She seems happy," I heard mum say.

"I guess he really has changed," I heard dad say.

"I can hear you, guys," I told them from upstairs.

I let myself fall on the bed and mentally relived the evening, willing to go back into that sort of bubble that had kept me and Killian away from reality; the moment I had opened the door to him, the restaurant, the dancing, all these heart-to-heart talks with him, all these laughs, the goodnight kiss…

This first date had exceeded my expectations. The more I knew about him, the more I wanted to be with him. It was both scary and exciting. Deep down, I was hoping this was only the beginning.


End file.
